diff --git a/src/qtgui/confgui/confgui.cpp b/src/qtgui/confgui/confgui.cpp
index edaa19aa..15019762 100644
--- a/src/qtgui/confgui/confgui.cpp
+++ b/src/qtgui/confgui/confgui.cpp
@@ -475,7 +475,9 @@ void ConfParamStrW::storeValue()
 void ConfParamStrW::loadValue()
 {
     string s;
-    m_cflink->get(s);
+    if (!m_cflink->get(s)) {
+        s = m_strdefault;
+    }
     if (m_fsencoding) {
 #ifdef _WIN32
         m_le->setText(m_origvalue = QString::fromUtf8(s.c_str()));
@@ -529,7 +531,9 @@ void ConfParamCStrW::storeValue()
 void ConfParamCStrW::loadValue()
 {
     string s;
-    m_cflink->get(s);
+    if (!m_cflink->get(s)) {
+        s = m_strdefault;
+    }
     QString cs;
     if (m_fsencoding) {
 #ifdef _WIN32
@@ -640,7 +644,9 @@ void ConfParamFNW::storeValue()
 void ConfParamFNW::loadValue()
 {
     string s;
-    m_cflink->get(s);
+    if (!m_cflink->get(s)) {
+        s = m_strdefault;
+    }
 #ifdef _WIN32
     m_le->setText(m_origvalue = QString::fromUtf8(s.c_str()));
 #else
@@ -784,7 +790,9 @@ void ConfParamSLW::storeValue()
 void ConfParamSLW::loadValue()
 {
     m_origvalue.clear();
-    m_cflink->get(m_origvalue);
+    if (!m_cflink->get(m_origvalue)) {
+        m_origvalue = m_strdefault;
+    }
     vector<string> ls;
     stringToStrings(m_origvalue, ls);
     QStringList qls;
diff --git a/src/qtgui/confgui/confgui.h b/src/qtgui/confgui/confgui.h
index 335b8db6..b10c0dce 100644
--- a/src/qtgui/confgui/confgui.h
+++ b/src/qtgui/confgui/confgui.h
@@ -235,6 +235,10 @@ public:
     const QString& getVarName() {
         return m_varname;
     }
+    void setStrDefault(const std::string& value) {
+        m_strdefault = value;
+    }
+        
 public slots:
     virtual void setEnabled(bool) = 0;
     virtual void storeValue() = 0;
@@ -251,6 +255,8 @@ protected:
     // File names are encoded as local8bit in the config files. Other
     // are encoded as utf-8
     bool         m_fsencoding;
+    // Bool and Int have constructor parameters for the default value. Others may use this
+    std::string  m_strdefault;
     virtual bool createCommon(const QString& lbltxt, const QString& tltptxt);
 };